Argentina is home to venomous snakes, poisonous spiders, and dangerous animals.

Argentina's ' diverse climate ranges from tropical in the Northern areas to freezing subpolar temperatures in the South.

These amazing climate permits constant breeding for some of the worlds most dangerous predators, on the land, in the air and in the ocean.

Wild cats such as the Pampas Cat, Cougar, and the formidable Jaguar roam Argentina's forests and mountain ranges.

Great White sharks can been seen off the coast along with the very deadly box jellyfish; making the ocean as deadly as the land.

In the air, the humble mosquito is responsible for many deaths and there is the ever present danger of malaria and dengue fever.

NB: Always drink from unopened bottles of water when visiting Argentina. This will help in avoiding Hepatitis A and typhoid.

Snakes

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Tropical Rattlesnakes

Tropical Rattlesnake

Are there any venomous snakes in Argentina ? YES.

The tropical rattlesnake grows to almost 5 feet (1.5m) in length. It usually resides in semi arid conditions but also lives in bushland and most sandy areas.

As with most snakes, the Tropical snake (Crotalus Durissus ) will shy away from contact with humans unless it is agitated or feels threatened.

Bitten victims after the initial bite will feel soreness and itchiness around the wound as well as swelling. Vision may soon become impaired as the venom flows through the body. Complete blindness of victims may happen if immediate medical treatment is not received.

Muscles will begin to ache and paralysis may settle in. The neck muscles will become so limp that the neck itself will appear to be broken.

The respiratory system will begin to slow down and breathing would become difficult. Eventually (within hours) the victim would suffer respiratory failure and then death.

NB: Never suck the poison out of a snake bite. The poison would simply be spread through the mouth of the would be helper.

Fer De Lance Snake

Fer De Lance

The dangerous and very venomous Fer de Lance ( Bothrops Asper ) snake can be found in many parts of Central and South America.

Can weigh up to 13lbs and stretch to almost 2 meters in length. Typically between a brown and black color and is a member of the vicious viper family.

This venomous snake in Argentina will bite if it feels agitated. The victim may begin to have headaches, and vomiting as well as bleeding from the nose and gums.

After 36 hours without treatment, the victim may suffer intestinal bleeding, hypertension and will lose consciousness. Within a short space of time after this, the victim could die a painful death.

Most bites from this snake are readily treated with anti-venom. If treatment is not given in time, then the limb with the bite wound on is usually amputated.

The venom has the capacity to deteriorate skin cells, literally melting the skin.

NB: Never run away from a snake. Always walk slowly away without provoking it.

Untreated Snake Bite Necrosis Wound

Crossed Pit Viper

This beautiful creature prefers marsh type land similar to swamps and other humid climate habitats.

Reportedly exceeding 2 meters ( 6.6 feet ) in length these Argentinian snakes take the blame for most of the snake bites in Central America.

Its' reputation was so fearsome, than locals would believe that once bitten, the victim would almost certainly die.

That was possibly before anti venom was introduced. Modern Argentina has a small supply of anti-venom for the Viper snake bite, but it is in short supply.

Death records from obscure rural areas are not concise; statistics only refer to bites reported from heavily populated areas.

Hospitalization records indicate that over 1957 snake bites are recorded annually in Argentina. Of which only 4 resulted in death.

Many snake bites have ended in amputations, blindness, permanent internal organ damage, and many different life changing health problems.

NB: There are many other dangers in Argentina concerning man. The illicit trade in human organs has seen many tourists having their kidneys harvested for the lucrative organ trade in the US.

Spiders

Commonly referred to as the 'banana spider' for its predominant hiding place inside banana bunches.

Spiders in Argentina are massive. The climate and sparsity of humans in some areas allows arachnids to develop into 'hunting' spiders rather than waiting for prey to come to them.

The banana spider can have a leg span of over 15cm with a 5cm body. From the genus Phoneutria, which is derived from the Greek language and means 'murderess', this spider is aggressive.

During the evening, the wandering spider stalks its prey by walking through the forests and jungles. In the daylight hours it seeks shelter under rocks and logs, in shoes, garages, and even drawers.

The most vicious banana spider species is the P. nigriventor, which also lives close to, and inside, human habitats. Its usual diet consists of lizard, small birds and frogs.

The toxin or venom injected by this species is neurotoxin. Once bitten, a victim may feel extreme intense pain within and around the wound.

The bite area will become hugely en-flamed as as the toxin flushes through the body, muscle control will be lost causing paralysis. This alone may lead to death as the respiratory system slows down and then stops.

Gift of Love

This spiders venom can also cause a severe medical dysfunction called priapism. This is where a male victim may have an uncontrollable and very painful erection.

This erection can last for several hours and be excruciatingly painful and can also lead to impotency. Anti venom would need to be administered as soon as possible.

A single banana spider killed two children after biting them both within less than a minute of each other.

NB: Always give a gift of insect repellent to anyone who is going abroad on vacation, you may just save their lives and their sex life.

Spider Bite

Sac Spiders

Also known as ghost spiders, the Sac spiders venom usually does not kill humans. The venom it injects is a cytotoxin.

The venom is similar to a Brown Recluse spider, which is one of the most dangerous spiders in the world. The toxin literally melts the skin.

Gaping wounds of over 10cm have been recorded from people receiving bites from these spiders. This leaves the victim prone to massive internal infections and wounds which take a considerable time to heal.

Most bites go unnoticed initially or are considered as nothing more than a small itch. Therefore the bite is not treated correctly and the venom goes to work.

Mosquitoes

Mosquito's are a worldwide pest, and in the Salta province of Argentina, these flying bugs carry Dengue Fever.

THERE IS NO VACCINE FOR DENGUE FEVER.

Dengue fever symptoms begin with a flu like bout, followed closely by headaches and muscle pain. As the fever takes hold, vomiting, nausea, and joint pains will begin to spread and rack the body with rashes.

Most cases will end uneventful after several days, but some people will need to be hospitalized for intravenous fluids and constant care.

Analgesics such as Tylenol should be taken to help beat the symptoms as well as plenty of fluids.

NB: Always travel with antihistamines and pain relief medication in a fully equipped first aid box.

Man

Buenos Aires has become the capital city in Argentina for the notorious and deadly kidnap express gangs.

This is where tourists are kidnapped and held for between several hours or several weeks whilst their bank accounts are emptied.

Often by knife or gun point, tourists are held in out of town houses and forced to hand over credit cards and pin numbers. Men are often subjected to severe beatings whilst women can be forced into sexual endeavours.

If the gang want more money, they will make the victim call home for a ransom to be paid. Some tourists are killed even after the ransom money has been paid by the family.

Drugs

Rival drug gangs battle for control of areas leaving people living in fear of their lives. Hired assassins on motorbikes are the preferred method to 'take out' opposition.

The escalating drug influence over the countries underworld are a blight on a beautiful country.

Argentina is still one of South Americas safest countries, but tourists should always be vigilant and veer away from trouble hot spots.

Many of the worlds most beautiful countries are plagued by wars. Drug wars, religious wars, wars for land, gold and even oil.

If these countries were to stop fighting, then there would be more prosperity for everybody once the tourists begin to flock in.

Poisonous snakes in Argentina as well as spiders, biting insects and other creatures from the animal kingdom, cause less misery and death than mankind itself.

Comments

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Dan 15 months ago

This extremely informative especially the part about mankind and seeing we just bought a casa on the lake in Carlos Paz out of Córdoba with many snakes and misquotes

Natasha Montero 21 months ago

Could someone tell me where exactly in Argentina are the tropical rattlesnakes found? thank you

bob 2 years ago

awsome

pONTINCRIATO 2 years ago

You should include the Yarará (snake)Rhinocerophis alternatus and the Cuyucha(spider), araña del poto colorado o del lino(There are some south america versions of the Dark widow, some of them living in groups), vinchucas(Triatoma infestans). Rodents urine or bites are dangerous too. Regarding mosquitoes, I've seen them Red, yellow, Brown, dark coloured, some of them Green, etc. Always try to wear sun protection, insects repelent, and try to avoid tall grass places or getting away from the roads while in the wild. Do not jump into lakes or lagoons, don't try to swim into rivers, stay away from trees, do not take naps laying on the grass. Try to do not do anything. Sometimes wild life is crazier than people. There are american eagles flying around here(They seem to have escaped Thompkins's ecological reserve). American eagles are known in south america by their appetite for eggs. Do not try to cook eggs in the wild or to feed them. It is dangerous to travel to argentina. There are stools and worms in the sea water and people always blame food or drinks about tourists getting intoxicated or sick.

If you dare to eat asado, there is a good chance they are serving it to you rare(raw). Always ask for it " Bien cocido, pero no quemado. Por favor". If you drink mate, try mate cocido for your own. Do not share your drinking mate with anyone. I don't want to discourage anyone about travelling to Argentina. Thank you for sharing information.

srsddn 3 years agofrom Dehra Dun, India

billericky, thanks for sharing so many poisonous creatures of Argentina. I am impressed by your presentation and concern about the danger from the mankind itself. Voted up.